Social gaming

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a system, apparatus, and method for social gaming may include a gaming machine configured to play a game of chance and produce game information. A social gaming server can be configured to communicate with the gaming machine, may establish a remote gaming session between the gaming machine and a user device, and may distribute the portion of the game information to the user device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/413,477, filed Nov. 14, 2010, and entitled “Social Gaming,” whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to games of chance. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to social game play when playing games ofchance. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to usinggaming machines for social game play when playing games of chance at agaming establishment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Social networks in different forms are becoming exponentially popular,with most of them being slight variations on the well-known MySpace™(http://www.myspace.com) or Facebook™ (http://www.facebook.com) models.For example, active membership in Facebook™, a popular social networkingsite, has greater than 500 million users, and comprises everyone fromschool children to grandparents. Such tools are generally used to postinformation that can be accessed by other registered users of thesystem. Unfortunately, the trend of social networking tools hassolidified the notion of social networks as a web-page only paradigm, avirtual Rolodex that grows so big that the social network lacks context,and hence relevance.

Gaming establishments are constantly looking for different ways toincrease gaming revenue and provide a more satisfying gaming experiencefor the player. Social networks may provide a social aspect for playinggames of chance.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A system, apparatus, and method for establishing a social game between agaming machine and at least one user are provided. In one embodiment, asocial gaming system may have at least one gaming machine configured toplay a game of chance and produce game information and a social gamingserver configured to: (i) communicate with the at least one gamingmachine; (ii) establish a remote gaming session between the gamingmachine and at least one user device; and (iii) distribute at least aportion of the game information to the at least one user device.

In another embodiment, a social gaming server may have a social gamesession manager configured to establish a social game session between agaming machine and at least one user device, acquire gaming informationfrom the gaming machine, determine portions of gaming information to bedistributed to the at least one user device, and initiate transfer ofthe portions of gaming information to the at least one user device.

In one embodiment, a method for distributing game information mayinclude operating a game of chance on a gaming machine to produce gameinformation, identifying at least one remote user, and distributing atleast a portion of the game information from the game of chance to theat least one remote user.

In another embodiment, a method for managing social awards may includeoperating a game of chance on a gaming machine, determining whether asocial award has been earned through playing the game of chance,generating the social award if the determining determines that a socialaward has been earned, determining if the social award is to betransferred to a remote recipient, and transferring the social award tothe remote recipient if the determining determines that the social awardis to be transferred to a remote recipient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more example embodimentsand, together with the description of example embodiments, serve toexplain the principles and implementations.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example social gaming system.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a block diagram of example embodiments of asocial gaming server.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for distributinggame information.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for posting anevent to a social networking server.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for streaming atleast a portion of gaming information to reproduce and present a game ofchance on a display.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for selecting aremote user.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for playing agame of chance with remote participation.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for managingsocial awards.

FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of an example gaming machine.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example graphical user interface.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate one embodiment of an example remotegraphical user interface presented on a portable electronic device.

FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of a graphical user interfacepresented on a portable electronic device.

FIG. 13 illustrates yet another embodiment of an example graphical userinterface presented on a display of a portable electronic device.

DESCRIPTION

Embodiments are described herein in the context of social gaming. Thefollowing detailed description is illustrative only and is not intendedto be in any way limiting. Other embodiments will readily suggestthemselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of thisdisclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations asillustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicatorswill be used throughout the drawings and the following description torefer to the same or like parts.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theimplementations described herein are shown and described. It will, ofcourse, be appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madein order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliancewith application- and business-related constraints, and that thesespecific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from onedeveloper to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such adevelopment effort might be complex and time-consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with some embodiments, the components, process steps,and/or data structures may be implemented using various types ofoperating systems, computing platforms, computer programs, and/orgeneral purpose machines. In addition, those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that devices of a less general purpose nature, suchas hardwired devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, may alsobe used without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventiveconcepts disclosed herein.

A system, apparatus, and method for providing a social game environmentin which players of gaming machines can interact with other users whileplaying a game on a gaming machine. The game played on the gamingmachine can be referred to as a social game (or a social game session)since remote players can assist the player of the gaming machine inplaying the game of chance, an associated social game component of thegame of chance, or a separate social game (which can be a game of changeor a non-game of chance). In general, the player of the gaming machinecan gain assistance (e.g., participation or interaction) from otherplayers that are not located at the gaming machine (i.e., remotelylocated from the gaming machine). The other players may be eligible togain awards, points, or the like by assisting the player of the gamingmachine. The other players can be referred to as at least one socialgaming user.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example social gaming system. The social gamingsystem 100 may include a game server 104, at least one gaming machine106 a-106 n (where n is an integer), a social gaming server 102, and athird party server 112. The game server 104, the at least one gamingmachine 106 a-106 n, and the social gaming server 102 may be within alocal gaming environment. Example gaming environments may be a casino,grocery stores, gas stations, and any other establishment having gamingmachines. The gaming environment can include a physical location forgaming and any servers, any gaming machines, and any devices connectedto a network 115. For illustrative purposes only, line 116 divides thelocal gaming environment network from a non-gaming environment network.The local gaming environment network is to the left of the line 116 andthe non-gaming environment network is to the right of the line 116.

Communication between the game server 104, the at least one gamingmachine 106 a-106 n, the social gaming server 102, the third partyserver 112, the local users 108 a-108 n, and the remote users 110 a-110n may be conducted through network 115 via any combination of wirednetworks, wireless communication technology, and cellular networks. Awired network can use Category 5 cable, Category 6 cable, fiber opticcable, coaxial cable or other cable types typically used for computernetworks. Examples of wireless communications technology may include,but is not limited to, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Cellular networks may useCode division multiple access (CDMA), Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), or any other common mobile network standards totransmit data at 2^(nd) generation (2G), 3^(rd) generation (3G), 4^(th)generation (4G), or any other data transmission speeds.

The game server 104 may be any computing hardware typically used fornetwork servers. The game server 104 may have a memory configured tostore at least one game of chance and a processor configured to managethe game of chance. The game of chance could be reel-based slot games,video poker, video blackjack, electronic table game, lottery games, orany other games of chance. The game server 104 can be configured tocommunicate with the at least one gaming machine 106 a-106 n and thesocial gaming server 102.

The at least one gaming machine 106 a-106 n can be configured to playthe game of chance, received from the game server 104, and produce gameinformation. The at least one gaming machine 106 a-106 n may be a slotmachine, mobile gaming device, electronic gaming table, electronicblackjack table, electronic roulette table, kiosk, interactive TV,tablet computer, or the like. In one embodiment, the at least one gamingmachine 106 a-106 n may have a main display, a secondary display, agraphical user interface (GUI) displayed or presented on the maindisplay or the secondary display, a ticket-in ticket-out (TITO) system,a bill acceptor, and a player tracking device as further illustrated anddiscussed in FIG. 9. A player may initiate a social game session usingthe GUI. The at least one gaming machine 106 a-106 n may be configuredto communicate to other gaming machines and the game server 104.

The social gaming server 102 may have a processor. The processor can beany microprocessor, CPU, multi-core processor or chipset commonly usedby network servers for computing. The processor can be configured tocommunicate with and manage a plurality of social gaming managers. Theplurality of social gaming managers may include some or all of thefollowing: a social game session manager, an authentication manager, asocial contacts manager, a local social game manager, and a socialawards manager as further illustrated and discussed with reference toFIGS. 2A and 2B.

The third party server 112 may be configured to store and managenon-gaming social games. The third party server 112 may authorize athird party remote user 114 a-114 n or a user device of the third partyremote user 114 a-114 n and connect the third party remote user 114a-114 n to the social gaming server 102 to participate in a socialgaming. In one embodiment, the third party server can be any socialnetworking server (e.g. Facebook™, MySpace™, LinkedIn™, Twitter™, andthe like) and may receive at least a portion of the game information.

In one embodiment, at least one social gaming user can be a remote user110 a-110 n. The remote user 110 a-110 n may be located in ageographical location that is physically separated from or away from theat least one gaming machine 106 a-106 n and/or the gaming environment.For example, the remote user 110 a-110 n may be at home and utilize alaptop computer configured to communicate directly with the socialgaming server 102 through network 115.

In another embodiment, the at least one social gaming user can be alocal user 108 a-108 n. The local user 108 a-108 n may be locationwithin or on the premises of the gaming environment. For example, thelocal user 108 a-108 n may be located in a restaurant in the gamingenvironment and can participate in the social game session using a smartphone configured to communicate with the social gaming sever 102. Inanother example, the local user 108 a-108 n may be playing on anothergaming machine 106 a-106 n while participating in a social game.

In yet another embodiment, the at least one social gaming user may be athird party remote user 114 a-114 n. The third party remote user 114a-114 n may participate in a social game session via third party server112. Third party server 112 may then be configured to communicate withthe social gaming server 102 via network 115 and be configured tofacilitate communication between the third party remote user 114 a-114 nand the social gaming server 102.

The at least one social gaming user may participant in a social gamesession using a user device. In one embodiment, the user device can be acomputing device such as, but not limited to, a desktop computer, alaptop computer, a tablet computer, or a netbook computer. In anotherembodiment, the user device may be a portable electronic device such asa cell phone, a smart phone, a portable media player, a portable gamingdevice, a personal digital assistant or the like. In yet anotherembodiment, the user device may be another gaming machine.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of one embodiment of a social gaming server.The social gaming server 200 may be similar to gaming server 102illustrated in FIG. 1. The social gaming server 200 may have a processor202 configured to control the operations of the social gaming server200. In one embodiment, processor 202 may communicate with and manage atleast one social gaming manager 240. The at least one social gamingmanager 240 may include one or more of the following: a social gamesession manager 204, an authentication manager 206, and a socialcontacts manager 208.

The social game session manager 204 may be configured to manage a socialgame session established between a gaming machine and at least one userdevice via the social gaming server 200. The social game session canenable the social gaming user of the at least one user device to receivecurrent or real-time and/or past game information about a game ofchance. The social game session may also enable the social gaming userof the at least one user device to remotely participate in or interactwith the game of chance.

Social gaming server 200 may be configured to acquire gaming informationfrom a gaming machine, such as gaming machines 106 a-106 n illustratedin FIG. 1. The gaming information can be generated by the gaming machineand/or the game server (such as game server 104 illustrated in FIG. 1)as the player plays the game of chance on the gaming machine. As thegaming information is generated, the gaming information can besimultaneously transmitted to and acquired by the social game server200. The gaming information may then be stored, processed, and managedby the game session manager 204. The gaming information can include anygame information generated from playing the game of chance such that thesocial game session manager 204 can reproduce the game of chance on adisplay of a user device. For example, the gaming information mayinclude, but is not limited to, number of credits, total amount of timespent playing the gaming of chance at the gaming machine, notificationof a win, loss, tie, push, and the like, amount won or lost, wageramount, award earned, notification of a remote input, pay table, and thelike. The game information may also be specific to a type of the game ofchance being played. For example, if the game of chance is an electroniccard game, such as video poker or video blackjack, the game informationcan include, but is not limited to, cards held by the player, communalcards, and actions taken by the player such as hitting or drawing fornew cards. If the game of chance is a slot game, the game informationcan include, but is not limited to, contents of the reels, lines beingplayed, notification of lines won, and images on the reels.

The social game session manager 204 can be configured to determine atleast a portion of game information to be distributed to the at leastone user device. In one embodiment, the social game session manager 204can determine the at least a portion of the game information to bedistributed based upon a plurality of user preferences. The plurality ofuser preferences may be any configuration desired by a user that may bestored on the social gaming server 200, the social game session manager204, or any other memory device or server device. The plurality of userpreferences may be any specific preferences desired such as, the type ofgaming information the user would like to see and when. For example, Bobmay only want to know when Tom has earned a non-gaming award whenplaying a game on the gaming machine. When Tom earns a non-gaming awardwhile playing the gamine of chance, the social game server 200 maytransmit the gaming information about the non-gaming award to Bob.However, the social game server 200 may not transmit the fact that Tomalso won $100.00.

In another example, the social game session manager 204 may beconfigured to determine which gaming information is considered to be“significant”. The significant event could be, for example, winning ajackpot, the player cashed out of the gaming machine, hitting a royalflush, entering a bonus game, and the like. In another example, thesocial game session manager 204 may determine to transmit all the gaminginformation.

In one embodiment, the gaming information may be transmitted from thesocial gaming server 200 to the users via any known methods, such asstreaming the gaming information.

The authentication manager 206 may be configured to authenticate a user.In one embodiment, the authentication manager 206 may authenticate theuser by confirming validity of a password, biometric identifier,personal identification number(s), or the like. Followingauthentication, the authentication manager 206 may signal the socialgame session manager 204 to establish the social game session betweenthe gaming machine and the user device of the user. In anotherembodiment, a third party server, such as third party server 112illustrated in FIG. 1, may authenticate the user by confirming validityof a password, biometric identifier, personal identification number(s),or the like. The third party server may then transmit an approved ordisapproved notification to the social gaming sever 200.

If the user is authenticated, the authentication manager 206 maytransmit an approval notification to the social game session manager204. The social game session manager 204 may then establish a socialgame between the gaming machine and a user device of at least one socialgaming user.

In one embodiment, the authentication manager 206 may be configured toauthenticate the user device based upon an identifier, such as a MACaddress, confirming validity of a key file (which may or may not beencrypted) stored on the user device, hashing and comparing contents ofthe key file to a record maintained by the authentication manager 206,or any other commonly used methods of verifying the validity of a datafile. In yet another embodiment, the authentication manager 206 mayauthenticate the user device using a unique address, such as a shortcode or a web link.

The social contacts manager 208 may be configured to store and/or manageone or more social contacts for a player playing the game of chance on agaming machine. In one embodiment, the one or more social contacts maybe stored in a contacts database 210. In another embodiment, the one ormore social contacts may be stored on a third party server, such asthird party server 112 illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the thirdparty server may be a social networking server configured to store,manage, and associate contacts with the player playing the game ofchance on the gaming machine. The social contacts manager may beconfigured to add contacts, delete contacts, search for contacts, blockcontacts, and other similar administrative functions as desired by theuser. The social contacts manager 208 may be configured to populate asocial contact list presented on a GUI of the gaming machine or userdevice.

The social game server 200 may optionally have a local social gamemanager 212. The local social game manager 212 may be configured tomanage non-gaming social games. Non-gaming social games may be any typeor kind of game that is not a game of chance utilizing a random numbergenerator and/or any type of game where prizes are not monetary. Forexample, a non-gaming social game may be a “Hotel Management” simulationgame, where different players can build and run a hotel.

FIG. 2B illustrates a block diagram of another embodiment of a socialgaming server. The social gaming server 250 may be similar to the socialgaming server 200 illustrated in FIG. 2A, except that the at least onesocial gaming manager 242 may include a social awards manager 214. Thesocial awards manager 214 may be configured to determine whether anaward has been triggered or earned in a game of chance and the type ofaward won. The triggering event and the type of award won may be basedon the type and theme of game played. For example, an award may betriggered for winning a particular round of the game of chance, winninga certain number of times over a predetermined period of time, winning acertain amount of credits in a particular round of the game of chance,winning a certain monetary amount, obtaining a royal flush, and thelike.

In another embodiment, an award triggering event may be a loss. Forexample, an award may be triggered by losing a particular round of thegame of chance, losing a certain number of times over a predeterminedperiod of time, losing a certain amount of credits in a particular roundof the game of chance, losing a certain total monetary amount, or thelike.

In yet another embodiment, an award may be triggered by achieving orobtaining a particular outcome. For example, in a slot game, an awardtriggering event may be obtaining six cherry symbols on a plurality ofreels without winning a payline. In another example, in a video pokergame of chance, an award may be triggered by obtaining a pair of queensin five consecutive hands.

The social awards manager 214 can be configured to generate the award ifan award triggering event has occurred. The award can be any type ofgaming or non-gaming award and may be based on the type and theme ofgame. A gaming award may be, for example, a monetary award, at least onefree spin, a multiplier, earning a plurality of points, triggering abonus event, and the like. A non-gaming award can be, for example, adigital enhancement for the social gaming user interface on the userdevice and/or on the gaming machine. The digital enhancement can be awallpaper, a background, a song, new avatar, a picture, any type ofother visual and/or auditory aesthetic prizes, movie tickets, foodcoupons, and the like. The non-gaming award may also be a virtual good.The virtual good can be used in a non-gaming social game hosted by athird party server or the local social game manager 212 of the socialgaming server 250. The social awards manager 214 may store the gamingawards in an awards database 216 and the non-gaming awards in anon-gaming awards database 218.

The social awards manager 214 can be configured to determine if theaward is to be transferred to a remote recipient. In one embodiment, thesocial awards manager 214 can determine if the award is to betransferred if the social awards manager 214 receives a user transferrequest to transfer the award to another player. The user transferrequest can be made by the user currently in possession of the award. Inanother embodiment, the social awards manager 214 may receive a remotetransfer request for the award by a social gaming user not in possessionof the award. The social awards manager 214 may transmit the request tothe user currently in possession of the award and await approval of thetransfer request from the user currently in possession of the award. Ifthe social awards manager 214 receives an approval for the transferrequest, the social awards manager 214 may transfer the award to thesocial gaming user. The social awards manager 214 can be configured tomodify ownership of the award entry in either the awards database 216 orthe non-gaming awards database 218. If a denial for the transfer requestis received by the social awards manager 214, then the social awardsmanager 214 determines not to transfer the award.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for distributinggame information. A method for distributing at least a portion of gameinformation 300 may be performed by a social gaming server such associal gaming server 102 illustrated in FIG. 1, social gaming server 200illustrated in FIG. 2A, or social gaming server 250 illustrated in FIG.2B. The gaming information may originate from a gaming machine locatedwithin a gaming environment, from a game server such as game server 104illustrated in FIG. 1, or any other gaming server or machine.

The method of distributing at least a portion of game information 300can begin by identifying at least one social gaming user at 302. In oneembodiment, the social gaming server may identify the at least onesocial gaming user based upon player input received from a playerplaying a game of chance. Input can be performed on a gaming machinesuch as a portable or mobile gaming device, electronic gaming table,electronic blackjack table, electronic roulette table, kiosk,interactive television, tablet computer, or the like. For example, theplayer playing a game of chance may select at least one social gaminguser from a social contact list as, for example, illustrated in FIGS.10-13. In another example, the player may input information about the atleast one social gaming user for storage in a contacts database (asillustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B). The player input may consist of a name,a username, an alias, an email address, a phone number, an accountnumber, an IP address or other similar information specific to aparticular individual. The player input may then be transmitted to thesocial gaming server.

Once player input is received by the social gaming server, the socialgaming server may, in one example, identify the at least one socialgaming user from the selection by comparing the input to a list ofcontacts stored in the contacts database. In another embodiment, theinput may be compared with a list of contacts in a third party server.The user input may be transmitted to the third party server which maycompare the input with a list of contacts stored at the third partyserver.

A game of chance may be played on a gaming machine at 303. Gameinformation may be generated for the game of chance at 305 as the playerplays the game of chance. In one embodiment, game information may begenerated from the gaming machine. In another embodiment, gameinformation may be generated from a game server (as illustrated in FIG.1). For example, the gaming information may include, but is not limitedto, number of credits, total amount of time spent playing the gaming ofchance at the gaming machine, notification of a win, loss, tie, push,and the like, amount won or lost, wager amount, award earned,notification of a remote input, pay table, and the like. The gameinformation may also be specific to a type of the game of chance beingplayed. For example, if the game of chance is an electronic card game,such as video poker or video blackjack, the game information caninclude, but is not limited to, cards held by the player, communalcards, and actions taken by the player such as hitting or drawing fornew cards. If the game of chance is a slot game, the game informationcan include, but is not limited to, contents of the reels, lines beingplayed, notification of lines won, and images on the reels.

As the game information is generated, the game information can besimultaneously transmitted to and acquired by the social game server (asillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B) for distribution to at least onesocial gaming user at 304. At least a portion of the gaming informationmay be distributed by any known method. In one example, at least aportion of the gaming information may be posted to the at least onesocial gaming user. The social game session manager may transfer thegame information to a third party sever (as illustrated in FIG. 1). Thethird party server may be, for example, any known social gaming serveror any other server accessible over a network. The third party servercan post the gaming information to a webpage, a feed, a notificationboard, or the like. The at least one social gaming user can retrieve thegame information from the webpage, the feed, the notification board, orthe like.

In another embodiment, the at least a portion of the gaming informationmay be electronically transmitted to the at least one social gaming uservia electronic mail. In yet another embodiment, the at least a portionof the gaming information may be streamed. Streaming results may resultin a real time reproduction display of the game of chance. As actionoccurs in the game of chance, the real time reproduction display willmirror the display of the gaming machine. The streaming can besupplemented by any combination of textual, audio, or visualinformation.

A determination of whether the game of chance has ended is made at 306.The game of chance may end if the player decides to stop playing thegame of chance. The game of chance also may end if no credits forplaying the game of chance are left. If the game of chance has notended, the at least a portion of the gaming information may continue tobe distributed to the at least one social gaming user at 304.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for posting anevent to a social networking server. A method for posting an event to asocial networking server 400 can be performed by a social gaming server(as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B). The method 400 may begin bymonitoring a game of chance for an event at 402. In one embodiment, themonitoring may be performed by a social game session manager (asillustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B) of the social gaming server. Forexample, as a player plays the game of chance, game information from thegame of chance may be transmitted from a gaming machine to the socialgame session manager of the social gaming server. In another embodimentthe gaming machine can transmit the game information to the game server.The game server can then transfer the game information to the socialgame session manager of the social gaming server. Upon receipt of thegame information, the social game session manager may parse the gameinformation for events. The event may be a win, a loss, an earned award,the player switching to a different game of chance, the player cashingout, the player placing a large wager, the player performing a gameaction such as spinning reels or doubling down, or any other activitythat may occur while playing a game of chance.

If the event is “significant” at 404 the significant event may be postedor transmitted to a social networking server at 406. In one embodiment,the significant event could be, for example, winning a jackpot, theplayer cashed out of the gaming machine, hitting a royal flush, enteringa bonus game, and the like. In another embodiment, the significance ofthe event can be determined by the player of the game of chance or atleast one social gaming user. For example, the player or social gaminguser may select specific events from a significant event list as what heor she considers to be significant.

The social networking server may be the social gaming server, a thirdparty server, or any other server. The social networking server can postthe information to a webpage, a feed, a notification board, or the like.The at least one social gaming user can then retrieve the informationfrom the webpage, the feed, the notification board, or the like.

If the event is not significant at 404 or the event has been posted tothe social networking server at 406, a determination of whether the gameof chance has ended is made at 408. In one embodiment, the game ofchance may end if the player decides to stop playing the game of chance.The game of chance also may end if there are no more credits to play thegame of chance.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for streaming atleast a portion of gaming information to reproduce and present a game ofchance on a display. The method 500 may be performed by the socialgaming server (as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B). A streaming ofthe game of chance may be initiated at 502. In one embodiment, thesocial gaming server may generate the gaming information for a game ofchance. Once generated, the gaming information may be streamed toreproduce the game of chance on a display of a user device. In oneembodiment, the stream may be initiated when a player begins to play thegame of chance. The game of chance may be played on any type of gamingmachine, portable or mobile gaming device, electronic gaming table,electronic blackjack table, electronic roulette table, kiosk,interactive TV, tablet computer, or the like. In another embodiment, thestreaming of the game of chance may be initiated following receipt of aninput by the player playing the game of chance to begin streaming. Forexample, the player may initiate the streaming of the game of chance byselecting a streaming option on the GUI.

The streaming of the gaming information may result in a real timereproduction of the game of chance on a display of a user device. Asactivity occurs as the player plays the game of chance, gaminginformation is generated whereby at least a portion of the gameinformation may be streamed to a user device of at least one socialgaming user. When the at least a portion of the gaming information isstreamed to the at least one social gaming user, everything presented onthe gaming machine may be reproduced and instantiated on a display of auser device of the at least one social gaming user.

In one embodiment, the at least a portion of the gaming information maybe transmitted via a video feed. A camera positioned on the gamingmachine may capture the activity of the game of chance in the videofeed. The video feed can be encoded and prepared for streaming using anycodec or technology commonly used to stream video over a network suchas, but not limited to, Flash video and HTML 5. In another embodiment,the at least a portion of the gaming information may be transmitted viaa digitally animated recreation of the game of chance. The streaming ofthe at least a portion of the gaming information may include anycombination of textual, audio, or visual information.

At least one remote user may be authorized to access the stream at 504.The at least one remote user may be a social contact associated with theplayer playing the game of chance. In one embodiment, the at least oneremote user may be stored in a contacts database maintained by a socialcontacts manager of the social gaming server (as illustrated in FIGS. 2Aand 2B). The social gaming server may verify or authenticate the atleast one remote user by comparing the at least one remote user to alist of social contacts in the contacts database.

In another example, the at least one remote user may be compared to alist of contact stored in a third party server. For example, the thirdparty server can be any social networking server that manages contacts.The social gaming server can transmit a verification request to thethird party server. A confirmation or non-confirmation may betransmitted to the social networking server from the third party server.Upon receipt of a confirmation or verification from the third partyserver, the social gaming server may authorize the at least one remoteserver to access the stream at 504.

In another embodiment, the at least one remote user need not be a socialcontact and may be authorized to access the stream via an identifier.The identifier can be a password, personal identification number (PIN),code, key file, or other similar form of identification or identifier.For example, if remote player A is sitting next to player B paying agame of chance and player A would like to view Player B's game, Player Amay transmit a request to view Player B's game of chance to the socialgaming server. The social gaming server can transmit a request foridentification to the at least one remote user via electronic mail, textmessage, phone call, or any other identification and/or verificationmethods. For example, the social gaming server may transmit a requestfor Player B's player tracking number and PIN. Player B may input andtransmit the information to the social gaming server. The social gamingserver may then compare and/or verify Player B's information withinformation stored in the social gaming server, player tracking server,or any other server or database.

In still another embodiment, the identifier can also be a uniqueshortcode address or a unique URL. The unique shortcode address or theunique URL may be generated by the social gaming server. The socialgaming server can transmit the unique shortcode address or the uniqueURL to a phone number, an email address, or the like, provided by theplayer. Upon receipt of the identifier, the at least one remote user mayaccess the stream of the game of chance using the identifier. In otherwords, at least a portion of the gaming information may be streamed to auser device of the at least one remote user when the at least one remoteuser accesses the identifier.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for selecting aremote user. The method 600 can be performed by the social gaming server(as illustrated in FIGS. 1-2) or any other server. An input for aselection of a remote user may be received at 600. The remote user maybe any social gaming user as described above such as the local user,remote user, or third party user as illustrated in FIG. 1. The remoteuser may be selected to participate or interact in a game of chance.

The input for a selection of a remote user may be made from a socialcontact list (illustrated in FIGS. 10-13) presented or displayed on aGUI of the gaming machine. The gaming machine can transmit the input tothe social gaming server, game server, or any other server. In anotherembodiment, the input may be a username, an alias, an email address, aphone number, or some other identifier that identifies the remote user.

Once the input for a selection of a remote user is received at 602,input by a user device of the remote user may be enabled at 604.Enabling the input may allow the remote user to participate, interact,and/or observe the game of chance. The input may be based on the typeand theme of game. For example, by enabling input from the user device,the remote user may participate by spinning a bonus spin in a socialgaming session. In another example, enabling input from the user devicemay allow the remote user to “hit”, “double down”, or “stay” in ablackjack social gaming session.

A determination is then made as to whether input is received from theremote user within a predetermined period of time at 606. Thepredetermined period of time may be set by the social gaming server, theplayer, or any other device or person. If input from the remote user isreceived within a predetermined period of time at 606, the input may beimplemented at the gaming machine at 608. For example, if the remoteuser participates by spinning a bonus spin, the reels may be presentedas spinning on the gaming machine. In another example, if the inputreceived from the remote user is a “hit” for a video blackjack game ofchance, the player may receive another card in the video blackjack game.In another example, if the game of chance is video poker, the inputreceived from the remote user may be to draw at least one card. Thus, anadditional card may be provided and displayed on the gaming machine.

If no input is received from the remote user at 606, the player may benotified that no input was received at 610, the input may be disabled at612, and a determination may be made as to whether a new remote userselection was received at 614. In one embodiment, the player can receivea notification, such as an alert, a popup, a message, or any other formof notification, on a GUI of the gaming machine. In another embodimentthe notification may occur on a user device of the player such as a textmessage. The notification may contain any combination of text, graphics,symbols, or indicia to notify the player that no input was received fromthe remote user. If a new remote user selection was received at 614,input for the user device of the remote user may be enabled at 604.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for playing agame of chance with remote participation. A game of chance may be playedon, for example, a gaming machine. The gaming machine may be a slotmachine, mobile gaming device, electronic gaming table, electronicblackjack table, electronic roulette table, kiosk, interactivetelevision, tablet computer, or the like. The method 700 may begin witha determination of whether a remote input or participation for a game ofchance should be enabled at 702. In one embodiment, the gaming machinemay enable the remote input by prompting the player to enable the remoteinput using the GUI. The gaming machine may then await for confirmationof the remote input from a remote user or at least one social gaminguser. In another embodiment, the gaming machine may not have to promptthe user. The gaming machine can enable the remote input upon receipt ofa remote input enablement request from the player without the user beingprompted.

If it is determined the remote input should be enabled 702, the remoteinput can be configured at 704. The configuring may customize whatremote input is available and tailor the remote input to a type of thegame of chance. For example, if the game of chance is video blackjack,the remote input may be configured to limit the remote input to ablackjack action such as hit, stand, double down, split, or otheractions associated with a game of blackjack. Configuring the remoteinput may also initiate a steaming of the gaming information to a userdevice as discussed above with reference to FIG. 5.

The player may play the game of chance on a gaming machine at 706. Asthe player plays the game a chance, a determination may be made as towhether a request for remote input for the game of chance be made at710. In other words, as the player plays the game of chance, events mayoccur whereby the player would like participation or help from at leastone social gaming user. In one embodiment, the player may request that asocial gaming user assist or participate in playing the game of chance.In another embodiment, the gaming machine may prompt and ask the playerwhether he or she would like to allow others to assist in playing thegame of chance. The gaming machine can offer the player the option torequest the remote input for every gaming action, for a random gamingaction, or for a predetermined gaming action. The player can accept ordeny the remote input request prompt.

If it is determined that the remote input for the game of chance isrequested at 710, a remote user may be selected at 712 to participate inthe game of chance. In one embodiment, the remote user may be at leastone social gaming user stored in a contacts database (as illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 2B). The player can make a selection of the remote user ina social contact list presented on a GUI (as illustrated in FIGS.10-13). In another embodiment, the player can select the remote user byentering a username, an alias, an email address, a phone number, or someother identifier that identifies the remote user.

A remote input request may then be transmitted to the remote user at714. The remote user may receive the remote input request on a userdevice such as a computing device, a portable electronic device, oranother gaming machine. The remote user may then deny or accept theremote input request.

If remote input from the remote user is received within a predeterminedperiod of time at 716, the remote input may be processed and used toplay the game of chance at 718. In one embodiment, the remote input maybe an acceptance of the remote input request transmitted at 714. Inanother embodiment, the remote input may be an action to play the gameof chance.

For example, if the game of chance is a slot game, the remote inputrequested may be to initiate a free spin. In another example, if thegame of chance is video blackjack, the remote input requested can be tohit, stay, or double down. The remote input may be any input to advancethe game of chance.

If no input from the remote user is received within a predeterminedperiod of time at 716, another determination may be made as to whetherthe player would like to request remote input for the game of chance at710.

A determination may be made as to whether playing the game of chance isto continue at 720. The game of chance may continue if the player makesanother wager, if the player won a bonus game, if additional bonusawards were won, and the like. Another determination of whether theremote input is enabled is made at 724.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for managingsocial awards. The method 800 may begin by initiating a game at 802. Inone embodiment the game is a game of chance. The game of chance can beany type of primary game of chance such as reel-based slot games, videopoker, video blackjack, lottery games, electronic table games, or anyother games of chance. The game of chance may be initiated on a gamingmachine following receipt of a wager from a player. In anotherembodiment, the game is a non-gaming social game. The non-gaming socialgame may be hosted by a third party server, a local social game managerof a social gaming server (as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B), or anyother server capable of hosting and managing a non-gaming social game.The non-gaming social game may initiated upon accessing or logging intothe third party server, a local social game manager, or any other servercapable of hosting and managing a non-gaming social game.

Once initiated, a determination is made as to whether a social award isearned at 804. A social award may be earned by any known awardtriggering events based on the type or theme of game. For example, anaward may be triggered for winning a particular game session, winning acertain number of times over a predetermined period of time, winning acertain amount of credits in a particular round of the game, winning acertain monetary amount, achieving a certain game pattern, achieving afree bonus round, winning a certain total monetary amount, obtaining aroyal flush, or the like.

In another embodiment, an award triggering event may be a loss. Forexample, an award may be triggered by losing a particular round of thegame of chance, losing a certain number of times over a predeterminedperiod of time, losing a certain amount of credits in a particular roundof the game of chance, losing a certain total monetary amount, or thelike.

In yet another embodiment, an award may be triggered by achieving orobtaining a particular outcome. For example, in a slot game, an awardtriggering event may be obtaining six cherry symbols on a plurality ofreels without winning a pay line. In another example, in a video pokergame of chance, an award may be triggered by obtaining a pair of queensin five consecutive hands.

If a social award is earned at 804, the social award may be generated at806. In one embodiment, a social awards manager (as illustrated in 2B)may be configured to generate the type of social award won. The awardcan be any type of gaming or non-gaming award. A gaming award may be,for example, a monetary award, at least one free spin, a multiplier,earning a plurality of points, triggering a bonus event, and the like. Anon-gaming award can be, for example, a digital enhancement for thesocial gaming user interface on the user device and/or on the gamingmachine. The digital enhancement can be a wallpaper, a background, asong, new avatar, a picture, any type of other visual and/or auditoryaesthetic prizes, movie tickets, food coupons, and the like. Thenon-gaming award may also be a virtual good. The virtual good can beused in a non-gaming social game hosted by a third party server or thelocal social game manager of the social gaming server. The social awardsmanager may store the gaming awards in an awards database and thenon-gaming awards in a non-gaming awards database.

A determination may be made to save the social award at 808, transferthe social award at 812, or redeem the social award at 816. If theplayer would like to save and keep the social award, the social awardmay be saved at 810. In one embodiment, the social award may be saved inan awards database or non-gaming awards database (as illustrated in FIG.2B) based upon the type of award. In another embodiment, the socialaward may be saved in a third party server (as illustrated in FIG. 1).When saved, the social award may be associated with the player.

If the social award is not saved at 808, the social award may betransferred at 812. In one embodiment, the social awards manager can beconfigured to determine if the award is to be transferred to a remoterecipient. In one embodiment, the social awards manager can determine ifthe award is to be transferred if the social awards manager receives auser transfer request to transfer the award to another player. The usertransfer request can be made by the user currently in possession of theaward. In another embodiment, the social awards manager may receive aremote transfer request for the award by a social gaming user not inpossession of the award. The social awards manager may transmit therequest to the user currently in possession of the award and awaitapproval of the transfer request from the user currently in possessionof the award. If the social awards manager receives an approval for thetransfer request, the social awards manager may transfer the award tothe social gaming user at 814. The social awards manager can beconfigured to modify ownership of the award entry in either the awardsdatabase or the non-gaming awards database. If a denial for the transferrequest is received by the social awards manager, then the social awardsmanager determines not to transfer the award at 812.

When the social award is not transferred at 812, a determination is madewhether to redeem the social award at 816. In one embodiment, the socialawards manager can be configured to determine if the award is to beredeemed. For example, the player or at least one social gaming user maybe prompted to redeem the social award or not. The player or at leastone social gaming user may then deny or accept the prompt. If anacceptance to redeem the social gaming award is received at 816, thesocial award may be redeemed at 818. If a denial to redeem the socialgaming award is received at 816, the determination as to whether to savethe social award at 808 may be repeated.

Once the social award is redeemed at 818, a determination as to whetherto end the game may be made at 820. The game may end if the playerdecides to stop playing the game, no credits remain, the game ends, orthe like.

FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of an example gaming machine. Althoughthe example gaming machine is illustrated as a slot machine, this is notintended to be limiting as the gaming machine may be a slot machine,mobile gaming device, electronic gaming table, electronic blackjacktable, electronic roulette table, kiosk, interactive television, tabletcomputer, or the like. A gaming machine 900 may have a main display 908.The main display 908 may display any type of primary game of chance uponreceipt of a wager from a player. For example, the main display 908 maydisplay reel-based slot games, video poker, video blackjack, lotterygames, or any other games of chance. In one embodiment, the main display908 may display other types of text and graphics, including videos, paytables, advertisements, secondary games, bonus games, player trackinginformation, announcements, or any other type of text and graphic.

The gaming machine 900 may have a player interface to play the primarygame of chance and interact with the social gaming interface. In oneembodiment, the player interface may include any type of actuatingdevice such as buttons 912 or a lever 910. In another embodiment, themain display 908 may be the player interface. For example, the playerinterface may be a touch screen display configured to present a GUI andreceive an input from the player. The player interface may be any typeof input mechanism capable of allowing a player to select options, playthe primary game of chance, play a bonus game, or enter any other playerinput. For example, pushing a button 912 or pulling a lever 910 mayprompt the gaming machine 900 to begin a spin of a reel in a slot gameto play a primary game of chance. In another example, a player may usethe touch screen display to enter player account information. In yetanother example, a player can use the touch screen display to select asocial contact to remotely participate in a game of chance. The gamingmachine 900 may also have speakers 906, lights, or other output devices.

The gaming machine 900 may also have a TITO (Ticket In, Ticket Out)system. TITO uses tickets encoded with monetary amounts, which can beconverted into credits to be played in the gaming machine 900 wheninserted into the gaming machine 900. The gaming machine 900 may have abill acceptor 918 configured to receive the tickets. The gaming machine900 may also have a ticket printer 914 configured to print out similartickets encoded with the amount of credits remaining on the gamingmachine 900 when the player desires to no longer play the gaming machine900 and cash out.

The bill acceptor 918 may also be configured to receive currency, forexample paper bills. The gaming machine 900 may also have a mechanism toaccept currency in other forms such as coins, vouchers, smart cards,electronic funds, and the like. The currency can then be converted intocredits to be played on the gaming machine 900. The gaming machine 900may have a credit dispenser 920 where the credits on the gaming machine900 can be cashed out when the player desires to no longer play thegaming machine 900.

The gaming machine 900 may have a player tracking device 916 configuredto receive a player loyalty card. Casinos may issue players a playerloyalty card for player tracking and rewarding purposes. The playerloyalty card may be associated with a player account. Player accountdata may be stored on a network server (e.g. a player tracking server),which may be on a network database server configured to communicate withthe gaming machines in the casino. The network may be a client-servernetwork, a peer-to-peer network, a wired or wireless network, a widearea network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or any other type ofnetwork. The player may insert his or her player loyalty card into theplayer tracking device 916 to log into the player's account. Data aboutthe player's play, such as outcomes, bet amounts, time played, or anyother type of information, may be saved over the network to anon-volatile memory at a player tracking server or any other networkserver. The player's account may be also be used to associate the playerwith the at least one social gaming user, social awards, and any otherdata or information.

The gaming machine 900 can have a secondary display 904. The secondarydisplay 904 may also display other text and graphics, including videos,pay tables, advertisements, secondary games, bonus games, playertracking information, announcements, or any other type of text andgraphic. The secondary display 904 can potentially display any type ofgame of chance such as reel-based slot games, video poker, videoblackjack, lottery games, secondary games of chance or any other type ofknown games of chance. The secondary display 904 can be a liquid crystaldisplay screen, cathode ray tube monitor, projection, organiclight-emitting diode screen or any other type of display device.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example graphical user interface. The GUI 1000may be presented on any display of a gaming machine, such as a maindisplay or a secondary display of a slot machine (as illustrated in FIG.9), display of a mobile gaming device, or the like. The GUI 1000 mayinclude a game of chance window 1006, a game of chance informationwindow 1004, a social contact list 1002, a social gaming communicationswindow 1022, and a social gaming log 1028. The social gaming interface1000 may visualize a social game session for a player and provide theplayer with information regarding the social game session, a game ofchance, and a plurality of social contacts. The player can interact withthe social gaming interface 1000 using a player interface of the gamingmachine. In one embodiment, the player interface can be at least onebutton, a keyboard, or any similar input mechanism. In anotherembodiment, the player interface may be a touch screen displayconfigured to receive input from the player.

The game of chance window 1006 can display any type of game of chanceupon receipt of a wager from the player. For example, the game of chancewindow 1006 may display reel-based slot games, video poker, videoblackjack, lottery games, electronic table games, or any other types orthemes of games of chance. The game of chance information window 1004can display information related to the game of chance. The informationdisplayed in the game of chance information window 1004 can include awager amount 1050, total credits 1054, pay lines 1052, or any othergamin information. In one embodiment, the game of chance informationwindow 1004 may be a standalone window as illustrated in FIG. 10. Inanother embodiment, the game of chance information window 1004 can beintegrated into the game of chance window 1006.

The social contact list 1002 can display and provide the player accessto a plurality of social contacts. In other words, the social contactlist 1002 may provide a list of at least one social gaming userassociated with the player. The listing of at least one social gaminguser may be obtained from, for example, the social contacts manager(illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B), a third party server (illustrated inFIG. 1), or any or server or database used to store a contact list.

The social contact list 1002 may include a plurality of controlsconfigured to manipulate the social contact list 1002. In oneembodiment, the plurality of controls can be a sort button 1016 and asearch button 1018. In another embodiment, the actuation of the sortbutton 1016 may order the plurality of social contacts. For example,pressing the sort button 1016 can sort the plurality of social contactsalphabetically, by type, by groups, by player preferences, availability,or the like. The search button 1018 may allow the player to search for aparticular social gaming user using any known searching methods.Although FIG. 10 is illustrated only with the sort button 1016 and thesearch button 1018, this is not intended to be limiting as the socialcontact list 1002 may have other controls such as a joystick, speakerand microphone for audio interaction, and the like.

The plurality of social contacts can be represented by alpha-numerictext such as, but not limited to, name 1010 a, email address 1010 b,phone number 1010 c, or an alias 1010 d. Although the plurality ofsocial contacts are illustrated in FIG. 10 as being represented byalpha-numeric text, this is not intended to be limiting as the pluralityof social contacts in the social contact list 1002 may also berepresented by pictures, icons, unique identifier, or other indicia.Each of the plurality of social contacts can be associated with a socialcontact status indicator 1008. Although the social contact statusindicators 1008 a-n are illustrated as black and white geometric shapes,this is for illustrative purposes only and not intended to be limiting.For example, hashed lines, different colors, different shapes, and thelike may be presented. In one embodiment, a filled-in circular indicator1008 a can represent a particular social contact is active in the socialgame session hosted by the player. In another embodiment, an emptycircular indicator 1008 b may represent a particular social contact hasconnected to a social gaming system, but is not active in the socialgame session hosted by the player. In yet another embodiment, an emptysquare indicator 1008 c can represent a particular social contact hasnot connected to the social gaming system and is not active in thesocial game session hosted by the player.

The social contact list 1002 may include a plurality of social contactoptions. The plurality of social contact options may be configured toallow the player to perform a variety of social gaming actions such asviewing a social contact profile, messaging a social contact, inviting asocial contact to join a social game, requesting a remote participationinput, transferring a social gaming award, and the like. In oneembodiment, the plurality of social contact options 1050 may be arrangedin a menu listing the various options and include an option indicator1020 to indicate which social contact option in the menu has beenselected by the player. The option indicator 1020 may be, but is notlimited to, an arrowhead as illustrated in FIG. 10. Other shapes,indicators, and the like may be used. Available social contact optionmay be indicated by text formatting, colors, or other indicia. Forexample, in the social contact option 1050, a profile may be viewed forZack as indicated by “View Profile” 1014 a. Unavailable social contactoptions may be indicated by text formatting, colors, or other indiciadifferent from that of available social contact options. For example, astrikethrough 1014 b can indicate inviting the social contact Zack isunavailable to the player.

In one embodiment, the social contact options 1050 may appear in thesocial contact list 1002 upon receipt of an input on the gaming machine.For example, the input may be selection of an “option” indicatorpresented on the GUI. In another example, the input may be a selectionof one of the at least one social gaming users. The input may be a tap,double tap, press and hold, swipe, slide, or other input.

The social gaming communications window 1022 can include a sessionparticipant area 1026 and a communications area 1024. The sessionparticipant area 1026 may contain a list of all contacts participatingin the social game session. In one embodiment, the contacts may belisted using alpha-numeric text, as illustrated in FIG. 10. In anotherembodiment, the contacts can be listed using visual indicators such aspictures, logos, icons, graphics, real-time video feed and other staticand dynamic visual indicia or methods. The communications area 1024 mayconvey communication between the contacts participating in the socialgame session. In one embodiment, the communication may be text based andthe communications area 1024 can be similar to instant messaging or chatrooms. In another embodiment the communication can be video chat based.In one embodiment, if the communication is video chat based, the sessionparticipant area 1026 and the communications area 1024 can be merged inone display area. The social gaming communications window 1022 may thencontain a plurality of sections, each section contain a real-time videofeed for each contact. Audio from the video chat based communication mayplay through at least one gaming machine speaker. In one embodiment, thevideo chat based communication can be supplemented with texttranscription. The text transcription may be similar to known instantmessaging or chat rooms.

The social gaming log 1028 may display a plurality of events 1030 from asocial game session. The plurality of events 1030 can include, but isnot limited to, an entrance into the social game session by a contactparticipating in the social game session, an exit from the social gamesession by a contact participating in the social game session, aselection of one of the contacts for remote participation, a result ofthe remote participation, a procurement of an award, and the like. Inone embodiment, the social gaming log 1028 may be a standalone window asillustrated in FIG. 10. In another embodiment, the social gaming log1028 can be integrated into the social gaming communications window1022.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate one embodiment of an example remotegraphical user interface presented on a portable electronic device.Referring to FIG. 11A, a remote GUI 1120 can be presented on a display1104 of a portable electronic device 1102. Although FIG. 11A isdescribed in reference to portable electronic devices, the GUI 1120 canbe presented on a display of any user device such as computing devicesor gaming machines. The portable electronic device 1102 can be a mobilephone, a portable media player, a personal digital assistant, a portablegaming device, or any other similar device. In one embodiment, thedisplay 1104 can be a liquid crystal display screen, organiclight-emitting diode screen or any other type of display device found inportable electronic devices. The display 1104 can have touch screencapabilities that may allow a user to manipulate the remote socialgaming interface 1120. In another embodiment, the portable electronicdevice 1102 may also have physical buttons or keys 1106 that can alsoallow the user to manipulate the GUI 1120. In still another embodiment,the buttons or keys may be virtually presented on the display 1104.

The remote social gaming interface 1120 may include a remote game ofchance window 1110 and a remote game of chance information window 1108.The remote game of chance window 1110 can display a representation ofthe game of chance being played on a gaming machine by a player. Thegame of chance may be reel-based slot games, video poker, videoblackjack, lottery games, electronic table games, or any other primarygames of chance. In one embodiment, the remote game of chance window1110 may display a real-time stream of the game of chance from thegaming machine. If the game of chance is digitally displayed on thegaming machine, the real-time stream may mirror a display of the gamingmachine on the remote game chance of window 1110. For example, if thegame of chance involves physical reels, cards, dice, or similar gamingobjects, a camera may capture activity of the game of chance. Thereal-time stream can be generated using flash video technology, HTML 5,or other codecs and technology commonly used for streaming video over anetwork. In another embodiment, the remote game of chance window 1110may display a real-time animation of the game of chance. For example, ifthe game of chance is a reel-based slot game with a plurality ofphysical reels, the remote game of chance window 1110 may show adigitally animated recreation of the plurality of physical reels. In yetanother embodiment, the remote game of chance window 1110 may display aplurality of significant events from the game of chance posted by thesocial gaming server.

The remote game of chance information window 1108 can displayinformation related to the game of chance. The information displayed inthe remote game of chance information window 1108 can include a wageramount 1130, total credits 1132, pay lines 1134, or any otherinformation typically associated with a primary game of chance. In oneembodiment, the remote game of chance information window 1108 may be astandalone window as illustrated in FIG. 11A. In another embodiment, theremote game of chance information window 1108 can be integrated into theremote game of chance window 1110.

The GUI 1120 may include a remote social gaming communications window1112. The remote social gaming communications window 1112 may contain alist of at least one contact that may be selected to participate in thesocial game session. The at least one contact may be any one orcombination of the local user, remote user, or third party user asillustrated in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the contacts may be listedusing alpha-numeric text. In another embodiment, the contacts can belisted using visual indicators such as pictures, logos, avatars, icons,graphics, real-time video feed and other static and dynamic visualindicia or method. The remote social gaming communications window 1112may convey communication between the contacts participating in thesocial game session. In one embodiment, the communication may be textbased. In another embodiment the communication can be a video chat withan optional text transcription.

The GUI 1120 may include a contact list 1118. The contact list 1118 candisplay a list of contacts for selection by the player. In oneembodiment, the plurality of social contacts can be represented byalpha-numeric text such as, but not only, a name, an email address, aphone number, or an alias. In another embodiment, the plurality ofsocial contacts in the contact list 1118 may be represented by pictures,icons, avatars, or other indicia. Although not illustrated, each contactmay be associated with a status indicator, options, and the like asdiscussed with reference FIG. 10.

The GUI 1120 may include a social game session list 1116. The socialgame session list 1116 can list any active social game sessions thecontact is currently participating or observing. The contact may beconnected to a first social game session and may be able to join orobserve a second social game session. Upon joining the second socialgame session, content from the remote game of chance window 1110, theremote game of chance information window 1108, and the remote socialgaming communications window 1112 may switch from that of the firstsocial game session to that of the second social game session. Thesocial game session list 1116 may also updated to reflect the currentsocial game session.

The GUI 1120 may include a remote input indicator 1114. FIG. 11Aillustrates the remote input indicator 1114 in an inactive mode. In thisembodiment, the remote input indicator 1114 is illustrated in dashedlines. However, this is not intended to be limiting as the remote inputindicator 1114 may be indicated as being inactive by any otherpresentation such as being faded, visibly faint, unfilled, blacked out,and the like.

When inactive, the remote input indicator 1114 can indicate that theplayer has not selected the contact to make the remote input or that theremote input has not been enabled on the portable electronic device.

Although the inactive remote input indicator 1114 is illustrated with aspin label, this is not intended to be limiting. The remote inputindicator may be based upon the type and theme of the social gamesession. For example, if the social game session is a video blackjack,the remote input indicator may have a “hit”, “stay”, and “double down”label.

Referring now to FIG. 11B, the GUI 1120 may have an active remote inputindicator 1154. When active, the remote input indicator 1154 canindicate that the player has selected the contact to make the remoteinput and/or that the remote input indicator 1154 has been enabled onthe portable electronic device 1102. As illustrated, the active remoteinput indicator 1154 may be solid to represent activeness. In anotherembodiment, a border of the active remote input indicator 1154 may besolid to represent activeness. In yet another embodiment, the activeremote input indicator 1154 may be a predetermined color to representactiveness. For example, the active remote input indicator 1154 can bered. In still another embodiment, the active remote input indicator 1154may blink to represent activeness.

Moreover, the remote social gaming communications window 1112 mayindicate the contact has been selected to participate in the socialgaming session. As illustrated, “JERRY has requested that you spin thereels” may be presented.

A timer 1152 may be presented on the GUI 1120. The user may have apredetermined period of time to participate in the social gamingsession. The timer 1152 may inform the user of the time left toparticipate. For example, the user may have one minute forty-two secondsto participate in the social gaming session by selecting the remoteinput indicator 1154. The portable electronic device 1102 may refreshthe timer 1152 as the amount of time left decreases. The timer 1152 maycontinue to refresh until the amount of time left decreases to “0”. Thetimer 1152 may be presented using digital numbers, clock face, or anyother time representation. In one embodiment, the timer 1152 can simplydisplay the total amount of seconds. In one embodiment, the timer 1152may be visible when the remote input indicator is active.

When selected by the contact, the portable electronic device 1102 cantransmit the remote input from the portable electronic device 1102 to asocial gaming server, a gaming server, or a gaming machine via a network(as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2).

FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of a graphical user interfacepresented on a portable electronic device. A remote social gaminginterface 1210 can be presented on a display 1204 of a portableelectronic device 1202. Although FIG. 12 is described in reference toportable electronic devices, the remote social gaming interface 1210 canbe presented on a display of any user device as discussed above.

The remote social gaming interface 1210 may include a plurality ofsocial game session monitoring windows 1208-1208 n. While FIG. 12 isillustrated with two social game session monitoring windows, this is notintended to be limiting as the GUI 1210 may include any number of socialgame session monitoring windows. Each of the plurality of social gamesession monitoring windows 1208-1208 n may monitor a different socialgame session. Each of the plurality of social game session monitoringwindows 1208-1208 n may include, but is not limited to, a remote game ofchance information window and a remote social gaming communicationswindow for a particular social game session.

A new social game session monitoring window 1208 a-1208 n may begenerated when the user joins a new social game session. In oneembodiment, upon the user joining the new social game session, theremote social gaming interface 1210 can resize existing social gamesession monitoring windows 1208 a-1208 n to accommodate the new socialgame session. In one embodiment, the GUI 1210 may automatically beresized to equally allocate space for each social game sessionmonitoring window 1208-1208 n. 1208-1208 n For example, for two socialgame session monitoring windows 1208-1208 n, each window 1208-1208 n maybe allocated half of the GUI 1210. If the contact joins a new socialgame session, the GUI 1210 may divide and present each social gamingsession monitoring window 1208-1208 n on one third of the GUI 1210.Thus, the social gaming session monitoring windows 1208-1208 n are equalin size.

In another embodiment, the plurality of social game session monitoringwindows 1208-1208 n may be different sizes. The size of each gamesession monitoring window 1208-1208 n may depend upon any number offactors including, but not limited to, user preference, level ofactivity, wager amount, or request for a remote participation input. Forexample, for game sessions having a lower credit amount, the gamesession monitoring window 1208-1208 n may be smaller than a game sessionhaving a larger credit amount. In another example, the user may manuallyallocate the size for each social game session monitoring window1208-1208 n.

FIG. 13 illustrates yet another embodiment of an example graphical userinterface presented on a display of a portable electronic device. TheGUI 1320 can be presented on a display 1304 of a portable electronicdevice 1302. The portable electronic device 1302 may have physicalbuttons or keys 1306 that can also allow the contact to manipulate theGUI 1320. The GUI 1320 may include a remote game of chance window 1310and a remote game of chance information window 1308 similar to the GUIillustrated in FIGS. 10-12.

The remote game of chance window 1310 may display a real-time stream ofthe game of chance being played by JERRY. The real-time stream maymirror a display of the gaming machine on the remote game chance ofwindow 1310. The streaming of at least a portion of game informationfrom the gaming machine may be transmitted by a game server, a socialgaming server, or any other server. In one embodiment, the remote gameof chance window 1310 may display a plurality of events from the game ofchance posted by the social gaming server. As illustrated, “SPIN BUTTONactive for next 2 min.” is an event that is currently occurring.

The remote game of chance information window 1308 can also displayinformation related to the game of chance, a remote social gamingcommunications window 1312, a remote social contact list 1318, a socialgame session list 1316, a remote input indicator 1314, as discussedabove. The GUI 1320 may also have an award notification 1322 to informthe user that an award has been earned. The award notification 1322 maybecome visible when the player or the user has earned an award asdiscussed in detail above. Although the award notification 1322 isillustrated in FIG. 13 on top of the remote game of chance window 1310,this is not intended to be limiting as the award notification 1322 canbe presented or displayed anywhere in the GUI 1320 on the display 1304.In one example, the award notification 1322 may include a description1324 describing the award such as “YOU EARNED A 5× MULTIPLIER”. Theaward notification 1322 may also include graphics such as, but not only,an icon to visually represent the award.

The GUI 1320 may alternatively display an award icon 1326. The awardicon 1326 may indicate that the user received a new award. The awardicon 1326 can be any graphic, logo, or picture that can represent theaward. For example, if the user earns a 5× win multiplier by remotelyparticipating in the game of chance, the award icon 1326 can be a boxprinted with a “5×” indicia. In one embodiment, the contact may receivethe new award simply by participating in the social game session. Thecontact may also receive the new award because the player gifted the newaward to the contact.

In one embodiment, the contact may select the award icon 1326 toassociate and save the award for the contact, transfer the award back tothe player, or redeem the award as discussed in detail in FIG. 8.

While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentionedabove are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for managing social awards,comprising: (a) operating a game of chance on a gaming machineassociated with a first user; (b) determining whether a social award hasbeen earned through playing the game of chance on the gaming machine;(c) generating the social award if the determining (b) determines that asocial award has been earned, the social award being a non-monetaryaward that is for use with a social game, the social game being anon-wagering game that is distinct from and not associated with the gameof chance played on the gaming machine; (d) determining if the socialaward is to be transferred to at least one remote recipient; and (e)transferring the social award to the remote recipient if the determining(d) determines that the social award is to be transferred.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the determining (d) comprises: (d1) determiningwhether a user transfer request is received.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the determining (d) determines that the social award is to betransferred to the at least one remote recipient based in part on a usertransfer request received from the first user.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: (f) redeeming the social award for a player playingthe game of chance if the determining (d) determines that the socialaward is not to be transferred to the at least one remote recipient. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the determining (d) comprises: (d1)receiving an at least one remote recipient transfer request for thesocial award.
 6. The method of claim 1, where in the determining (d)further comprises: determining a location of the at least one remoteplayer; and determining eligibility of the at least one remote player toreceive the social award based on the location of the at least oneremote player.
 7. A social gaming server, comprising: a social gamesession manager configured to: establish a social game session between agaming machine associated with a first user and at least one user deviceassociated with at least one remote user; transmit an input request tothe at least one user device; determine if an input is received from theat least one user device within a predetermined period of time inresponse to the input request; acquire gaming information from thegaming machine, the gaming information associated with at least one gameof chance; determine portions of gaming information to be distributed tothe at least one user device if it is determined that an input isreceived from the at least one user device within the predeterminedperiod of time, wherein the first user and the at least one remote userare capable of interacting with the social game session; and initiatetransfer of the portions of gaming information to the at least one userdevice to allow the first user and the at least one remote user toconcurrently play the at least one game of chance; and a social gamemanager configured to host a social game for use with the social gamesession.
 8. The server of claim 7, wherein the initiate transfer sendsthe portions of the gaming information to a social networking server. 9.The server of claim 7, further comprising an authentication managerconfigured to authenticate the at least one user device or the remoteuser.
 10. The server of claim 7, further comprising a social contactsmanager configured to maintain one or more social contacts.
 11. Theserver of claim 7, further comprising a location determination managerconfigured to determine a location of the at least one user device. 12.The server of claim 11, further comprising an eligibility determinationmanger configured to the determine eligibility of the at least one userdevice to receive the gaming information distribution based on thelocation of the at least one user device.
 13. The server of claim 7,further comprising a social awards manager configured to: (a) determinewhether a social award has been earned through playing a game of chance;(b) generate the social award if the determining (a) determines that asocial award has been earned; (c) determine if the social award is to betransferred to a remote recipient; and (d) transfer the social award tothe remote recipient if the determining (c) determines that the socialaward is to be transferred to the remote recipient.
 14. The socialgaming server of claim 7, wherein the predetermined period of time isbetween thirty seconds and one minute.
 15. The social gaming server ofclaim 7, wherein the social game session manager is further configuredto: transmit a non-responsive notification to the gaming machine if itis determined that an input is not received from the at least one userdevice within the predetermined period of time.
 16. The social gamingserver of claim 15, wherein the social game session manager is furtherconfigured to: transmit an input request to another of the at least oneuser device; and determine if an input is received from the another ofthe at least one user device within a predetermined period of time inresponse to the input request.
 17. The social gaming server of claim 7,wherein the social game session manager is further configured to:determine whether a social award has been earned through playing thesocial game session; generate the social award if it is determined thata social award has been earned; determine if the social award is to betransferred to the at least one user device; and transfer the socialaward to the at least one user device if it is determined that thesocial award is to be transferred to the at least one user device. 18.The server of claim 7, further comprising an authentication managerconfigured to authenticate the at least one user device or the at leastone remote user.
 19. The server of claim 7, further comprising alocation determination manager configured to determine a location of theat least one user device.
 20. A method for managing social awards,comprising: (a) operating a game of chance on a gaming machineassociated with a user; (b) determining whether a social award has beenearned through playing the game of chance; (c) generating the socialaward if the determining (b) determines that a social award has beenearned, the social award being a non-monetary award that is for use witha social game, the social game being a non-wagering game that isdistinct from and not associated with the game of chance played on thegaming machine; (d) receiving a request to transfer the social award toa remote recipient; (e) determining an amount of the social award to betransferred to the remote recipient, the amount based upon a predefinedpercentage defined by the user; and (f) transferring the social award tothe remote recipient.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the request totransfer the social award is received from the remote recipient.
 22. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the receiving (d) comprises: presenting therequest to transfer the social award to a player of the game of chance;and determining if an approval to transfer the social award is receivedfrom the player of the game of chance.
 23. The method of claim 22,further comprising: redeeming the social award for the player of thegame of chance if it is determined that an approval to transfer thesocial award is not received from the player of the game of chance. 24.The method of claim 20, wherein the request to transfer the social awardis received from the player of the game of chance.
 25. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the remote recipient is a social contact associatedwith the user.